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Dr. Christina Sandema-Sombe

CEO at Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC

Portland, Oregon, United States

Dr. Christina Sandema-Sombe is an award-winning data and AI strategist, keynote speaker, and creator of the REACT Framework™ , a comprehensive model that helps organizations align people, policy, and platforms for sustainable, human-first AI transformation.

She is a 2x contributor to CIO Online, a certified minority- and women-owned business leader, and a frequent voice on the intersection of data equity, culture, and strategic innovation. Christina has developed over a dozen proprietary frameworks and serves clients across public and private sectors, helping them embed trust, accountability, and inclusion into their data and AI ecosystems.

As founder of Christina Sandema-Sombe D.B.A. LLC and Datum Café, her mission is simple:
Know it. Run it. Prove it. Repeat.

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: Portland, Oregon
Speaking Topics: Data and AI Culture

Dr. Christina Sandema-Sombe Points
Academic 20
Author 28
Influencer 40
Speaker 13
Entrepreneur 70
Total 171

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Theatre: United States
Minimum Project Size: $100,000+
Average Hourly Rate: $300+
Number of Employees: 1-10
Company Founded Date: 2025
Media Experience: 10
Last Media Interview: 06/06/2025

Areas of Expertise

Agile 30.03
AI 30.92
AI Ethics 32.28
AI Governance 32.44
Analytics 30.09
Behavioral Science 35.05
Big Data 30.31
Business Strategy 32.03
Careers 30.15
Change Management 30.74
Coaching
Culture 30.18
Customer Experience 30.01
Design Thinking
Digital Disruption
Digital Transformation 30.27
Diversity and Inclusion
EdTech 30.70
Education
Emerging Technology
Entrepreneurship 30.19
Future of Work
Generative AI 30.04
HR 30.40
IT Leadership 32.63
Leadership 30.55
Legal and IP 31.78
Management
Project Management
Retail 31.31
Risk Management 30.37
Supply Chain 30.42
Sustainability
Transformation 31.41

Industry Experience

Consumer Products
Cross Industry
Federal & Public Sector
Higher Education & Research
Professional Services
Retail
Utilities

Publications & Experience

1 Academic Fellow / Scholar
Relationship Between Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Acceptance of Business Intelligence Systems
Walden University
October 31, 2019
This study explores how retail leaders adopt business intelligence systems (BIS) by examining the influence of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU)—key constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model. Using data from 106 retail managers across the eastern U.S., the research found that PU significantly predicted user acceptance of BIS, though its impact declined over time. These findings suggest that to sustain BIS adoption, organizations must continuously demonstrate value to users. The study underscores the broader social value of effective BIS deployment in helping retail leaders address economic and community challenges.

See publication

Tags: Big Data, IT Leadership, Retail

12 Article/Blogs
The privacy-performance spectrum: Building learning-enabled genAI systems for the enterprise
Import from cio.com
August 22, 2025








As generative AI (GenAI) systems become embedded in enterprise workflows — from R&D and customer service to fraud detection and regulatory compliance — many teams are optimizing the wrong layer. The obsession tends to fall on model selection (GPT-4 or Claude?), prompt

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation

Meta echa mano de Google Cloud en medio de la carrera por la IA
Import from cio.com
August 22, 2025








Meta va a emplear la nube de Google. La compañía acaba de cerrar un acuerdo que la convertirá en cliente de Google Cloud durante los próximos seis años, un contrato millonario valorado en más de 10.000 millones de dólares.



Esto es lo que han confirmado a Reuters fuen

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation, Cloud, Cloud

Keeping humans in the AI loop
Import from cio.com
August 22, 2025









“Would I trust if my doctor says, ‘This is what ChatGPT is saying, and based on that, I’m treating you.’ I wouldn’t want that,” says Bhavani Thuraisingham, professor of computer science and founding director of the Cyber Security Research and Education Institute at

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation

The data-driven digital journey defining Boehringer Ingelheim
Import from cio.com
August 22, 2025








In short, family-owned German multinational pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim’s purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of patients through constant innovation, and the strategic use of technology. By virtue of this pursuit, combined with an ambitious approach t

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation

Chef provides a powerful, automated way to ensure compliance in hybrid cloud environments
Import from cio.com
August 21, 2025








With some 90% of organizations now relying on the cloud for application development and deployment, questions arise about how best to address challenges, including ensuring compliance, audit preparation, and security.[i] The answer is to choose platforms that can take advantag

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation, Cloud, Cloud

6 IT management practices certain to kill IT productivity
Import from cio.com
August 21, 2025








Successful CIOs, like all highly placed executives, must be adept at running an organization that’s good at getting work out the door.



Unfortunately, many of the most popular management techniques for fixing poor organizational performance don’t work. Or worse.



If yo

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation

Eaton CIO Katrina Redmond on honing IT for operational excellence
Import from cio.com
August 21, 2025








As executive vice president and CIO of Eaton, Katrina Redmond is playing a pivotal role in the nearly $25 billion global intelligent power management company’s efforts to power the next generation of digital and physical infrastructure. With a mandate that extends from leadi

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation

The AI disruption: From global business to your breakfast table
CIO.com
July 30, 2025
AI isn’t just coming for your job — it’s already messing with the most important meal of the day. Welcome to disruption, served sunny-side up.

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Tags: Agile, Digital Transformation, Supply Chain

Keiner hat Bock auf KI?
ComputerWoche
July 10, 2025
Republication of Stop Chasing AI for AIs sake in German

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Tags: AI, AI Ethics, IT Leadership

Stop chasing AI for AI’s sake
CIO.com
June 06, 2025

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Tags: Customer Experience, Generative AI

Opinion & Analysis: Is It Time for the Chief Data Officer to Be the CEO?
CDO Magazine
March 17, 2025

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Tags: Business Strategy, Careers, Change Management

AI's Limits: How Far Can the Revolution Go?
Linkedin
January 24, 2025
The AI revolution promised to transform our world, disrupting industries, automating processes, and driving unprecedented innovation. But as we stand at the crossroads of progress and consequence, we must ask ourselves: Are we hitting the limits of the AI boom before it fully delivers on its promise?

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Tags: AI, Leadership

1 eBook
Unlock the Power of Collaboration Between Legal, Risk, HR & Data Teams
Christina Sandema-Sombe D.B.A. LLC
March 01, 2025
Data-driven transformation doesn’t happen in isolation – legal, risk and HR teams play a critical role in shaping governance, compliance, and strategic decisions. But too often, these teams operate in silos, creating misalignment, inefficiencies, and compliance risks that slow down progress. Download your complimentary copy of the REPORTS, RELIC and PAIR Frameworks so you can start improving collaboration today.

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Tags: AI, Business Strategy, Leadership

1 Executive
Christina Sandema-Sombe D.B.A. LLC
Christina Sandema-Sombe D.B.A. LLC
May 01, 2024
Understanding and addressing the impacts people experience as we execute data strategy is critical and foundational to successfully transforming your organization’s data culture.

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Tags: AI, Leadership, Transformation

2 Influencer Awards
DataIQ 100 Most Influential People in Data
DataIQ
August 01, 2025
The first and only fully-curated power list of the most influential data and analytics practitioners. Since 2014, DataIQ has been tracking the rise of chief data officers, chief analytics officers, data scientists, data governance experts and the leaders of key vendors and service providers. Inclusion in the DataIQ 100 is a notable badge of honour that is widely referenced by the individuals who make the cut.

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Tags: AI Governance, Analytics

Top 10 Data Innovators
Orbition Group
August 01, 2025

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Tags: Behavioral Science

3 Influencer Newsletters
Issue #3: What Rising Egg Prices Reveal About AI’s Global Disruption
Linkedin
August 05, 2025
I didn’t arrive at this question by accident. I’ve been applying a method inspired by what’s often called “non-obvious pattern mapping”; a method of connecting seemingly unrelated trends to expose bigger, often invisible, shifts.

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Tags: AI, Business Strategy, Leadership

Too Fast, Too Fragile: Why AI Is Scaling on Shaky Ground
Linkedin
July 13, 2025
We are rushing toward AI maturity before we've built the cultural, operational, or governance maturity to support it. Let's dive in!

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Tags: AI, Leadership, Transformation

Designing for Friction, Culture, and Scale in the Age of AI
Linkedin
June 19, 2025
Let’s be honest about how AI execution is pursued in most companies reacting the hype. We chase roadmaps, pilot tools, and say things like “we’re doing AI” without defining why, for whom, or how it actually helps people do better work.

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Tags: AI, Leadership, Transformation

1 Keynote
People: The Linchpin of Successful Outcomes with Data
GDS Summit
August 01, 2025
Dr. Sandema‑Sombe closed Day 2 of the summit with a compelling argument: successful data initiatives succeed or fail based on people not just technology 

Key Themes & Insights
Start with human readiness, not technology.
Using the metaphor of preparing for a marathon, she illustrated how organizations attempt data transformation before securing leadership buy-in, defining business outcomes, or building adoption plans resulting in what she calls the "loop of death" 

People-centric challenges derail data efforts:
Cultural resistance: leadership and employee mindsets often block adoption.
Organizational silos: lack of cross-functional collaboration limits value.
Talent gap: skills alone are insufficient if teams can’t bridge with non-technical stakeholders 
Five strategic questions to prepare organizations for scale:
Do your leaders commit to data as a strategic imperative?
Are you teaching fluency—not just literacy?
Have you surfaced and addressed cultural resistance?
These foundational questions help shift from mere awareness to actionable knowledge and engagement 

Data literacy as the catalyst for transformation:
Assess baseline literacy across roles: Define fluency standards
Design ongoing training and coaching
Continuously evaluate and evolve the program. This progression turns passive data understanding into active, strategic fluency 

Why It Resonated
Summit organizers and attendees praised the keynote as thought-provoking and engaging, making it a highlight of the event’s closing session . Her people-first framing aligns with broader themes at the summit, especially the rise of human-driven governance and culture as the backbone of scalable analytics 

Implications for Thinkers360 Audiences
Data Leadership & CDOs: A clear invitation to shift from short-term project thinking to organizational readiness.
Executive & Board Audiences: A compelling case for embedding adoption drivers into data strategy from the outset.
Conference & Summit Organizers: This topic is ideal for executive keynotes, panels on data maturity, or transformation-driven forums.

Top Takeaways (TL;DR)
Theme: Insight
People → Technology: Data success depends more on human readiness than tech implementation
Culture & Collaboration: Breaking silos and shaping mindsets is essential
Literacy → Fluency: Training must enable confident, collaborative action
Strategic Readiness: Executive commitment + structured learning are prerequisites

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Tags: Business Strategy, Change Management, Digital Transformation

1 Media Interview
Why Sustainable Data Practices Start with People, Not Tools | Christina Sandema-Sombe, Datum Cafe
CDO Magazine
July 14, 2025
In this powerful interview, Christina Sandema-Sombe, Co-founder and Chief Data Analytics and AI Officer at Datum Cafe, speaks with Peter Geovanes, Founder & CEO of Juris Tech Advisors, about how to build sustainable, scalable data practices through structured knowledge management and executive alignment.

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Tags: AI, Leadership, Transformation

2 Podcasts
My Career in Data – a DATAVERSITY Talks Podcast
DataVersity
June 11, 2025
In Season 3, Episode 8, we speak with Christina Sandema-Sombe, CEO Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC and Co-Founder & CDAIO Datum Cafe, about her aptitude for science in Zambia & focus to becoming a doctor but with the help of mentors altering her career path to becoming a leader of not one but two data centered companies.

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Tags: AI, Entrepreneurship, IT Leadership

How User Acceptance and Adoption Drive Data and Analytics: Unpacking the Connection
Orbition Group
October 10, 2023
In Season 3, Episode 49 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Dr. Christina Sandema-Sombe, Chief Data Steward at Nike, where they discuss the relationship between user acceptance and adoption and the role it plays in Data and Analytics success.

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Tags: Behavioral Science, Change Management, IT Leadership

1 Speaking Engagement
2023 CDOIQ Symposium Session 17E - Christina Sandema Sombe
CDOIQ
January 11, 2024
Chief Data Officers must employ strategies to scale data stewardship across multiple domains while standardizing and maturing governance practices to reduce financial risk and negative impacts to brand/reputation while increasing competitive advantage. Especially as regulatory requirements continually increase, affecting multiple data domains and the need to proactively establish stewardship to reduce the risk profile of an organization also increases. Proactive measures to formalize and standardize data stewardship practices at scale will reduce the risk profile of an organization and accelerate optimization of business operations that enable competitive advantage.

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Tags: AI, Digital Transformation, Supply Chain

6 Trademarks
TRUST Framework
Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC
August 01, 2025
Transparency. Is data openly accessible, clearly defined and easy to challenge?
Relationships. Are cross-functional teams collaborating…or competing for control?
Understanding. Do your people have the literacy and support they need to feel confident using data?
Safety. Can employees ask questions, surface risks or say “I don’t know” without fear?
Tone from the top. Is there transparency, training, intentional change management and incentives to adopt the change?

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Tags: AI Ethics, EdTech, Supply Chain

REPORTS Framework
Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC
August 01, 2025
The best data-driven organizations work closely with HR to build a strong data culture. However, most HR teams aren’t equipped to support data teams effectively. The ???????????????????????????? Framework is a 7-step framework to help align your HR and Data teams for better business outcomes.
Here’s how HR and Data teams must work together for success:
????ecruitment – Collaborate to identify the right technical and non-technical team members you
need.
????nterprise Policy Enforcement – Develop the processes (escalation, actions taken on violations)
to make your enterprise data policies enforceable
????erformance Management – Make data contributions part of performance management and
set clear expectations and career paths for data professionals and those interested in data.
????rganizational Learning – Enable both mandatory and optional learning opportunities that help
employees become uent with your organization's expectations of their handling of your data.
????ewards & Recognition – Incentivize and reward engagement, data-driven decision-making,
and maturity progress at every level.
????itle Standardization – Evaluate where there are opportunities to standardize personnel titles
and roles to enable access control and simplify stewardship identification
????kills Assessments – Understand your current skills gaps and ensure ongoing upskilling and
certification in data competencies.

See publication

Tags: AI, Business Strategy, HR

RELIC Framework
Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC
August 01, 2025
Legal teams play a critical role in ensuring compliance, mitigating risks, and safeguarding enterprise data. However, many Legal teams aren’t fully aligned with Data teams on regulatory guidance, compliance, and risk mitigation. The RELIC framework—a structured 5-step framework, ensures Legal and Data teams work together seamlessly to navigate risk, compliance, and policy enforcement.

Risk Management & Data Security Compliance – Provide regulatory interpretation and
compliance guidance, mitigate risks, ensure legal due diligence, enforce data subject rights,
navigate cross-border data transfers, and manage litigation and regulatory defense.

Enterprise Policy Enforcement – Ensure that data policies and standards align with employment
laws, employee rights, and contractor protections, avoiding unintended legal risks.

Legal Guidance to Decision-Makers – Advise on risk acceptance, compliance priorities, and
upcoming laws while ensuring the organization is represented eectively in legal disputes and
regulatory inquiries.

Identication of Regulatory & Compliance Requirements – Ensure that the organization meets
all relevant data, AI, and emerging technology-related regulations, adapting proactively to evolving
requirements.

Contractual & Vendor Oversight – Oversee data-related contracts and vendor agreements,
ensuring that external partners comply with internal policies, data security standards, and legal obligations

See publication

Tags: AI, Business Strategy, Legal and IP

PAIR Framework
Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC
August 01, 2025
Risk Management and Data Teams must work hand in hand. However, many Risk
Teams and Data Teams operate in silos, leading to gaps in risk assessment,
misaligned priorities, and missed opportunities to mitigate potential threats. The
???????????????? framework - a 4-step framework that ensures Risk and Data Teams
collaborate eectively to proactively manage risk, improve data governance, and
enhance decision-making.
Here’s how Risk and Data Teams must work together for success:
????roviding Independent Assessment – Ensure risk teams conduct unbiased evaluations of data-related risks, separate from the teams responsible for data governance and management.
????lignment of Risk Framework to Data Priorities – Integrate risk considerations into data strategy by aligning enterprise risk frameworks with key data priorities.
????ntegration of Risk Acceptance Processes in Data Governance – Embed risk acceptance processes into data governance decision-making, ensuring that risk assignments are properly designated to data owners and stewardship teams.
????eporting of Data Risks – Establish a clear process for data teams to escalate and report identied data risks to the Enterprise Risk Registry, ensuring visibility and action.

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Tags: AI, Business Strategy, Risk Management

SMILE Framework
CIO Online
June 06, 2025
Start AI roadmaps with a culture audit.
Make behavioral metrics part of AI KPIs.
Incentivize knowledge sharing, sharing data, aligning cross-functionally, admitting uncertainty and testing fast across silos.
Lead with change management to drive alignment, accelerate adoption and ensure lasting impact, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Emphasize AI as an enabler of team augmentation, not a source of disruption.

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Tags: Behavioral Science, Change Management, Culture

FACED
Christina Sandema-Sombe DBA LLC
December 31, 1969
???????????????????? with Data Challenges
????ederated Models Win: Centralized governance + decentralized execution =
collaborative success.
????doption Matters: Companies are prioritizing user acceptance of data technologies.
Unused tools become costly shelfware.
????reative Branding Works: Storytelling makes data programs relatable and drives
adoption.
????xec Buy-In Is Power: When leadership champions data initiatives, it activates the
entire organization. Data as a Team Sport: Bridging the gap between business and IT
drives real success.
????ata Literacy Is Growing: Knowledge-sharing fuels growth; learning together is the new
norm.

See publication

Tags: AI Governance, Business Strategy, Leadership

Thinkers360 Credentials

9 Badges

Blog

Opportunities

3 Products
The Data Mart Store

Location: Virtual    Fees: $5 -$70/item

Service Type: Service Offered

2. **The Data Mart Store**
**Incentivizing Culture, Celebrating Data People**
The Data Mart Store supports cultural transformation through swag and storytelling. With T-shirts, mugs, and accessories that simplify and celebrate data work, it helps teams reward, recognize, and spark conversations around data. From humorous job slogans to inspiring messages, it makes data approachable, inclusive, and fun.

*Audience: Conferences, employers, data teams, educators, and the data-curious*

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AI Ready Pro On-Demand Webinars

Location: Virtual    Fees: $87-$247/webinar

Service Type: Service Offered

**Personal Development for the AI Era**
AI Ready Pro empowers individual learners, especially early- and mid-career professionals, to future-proof their corporate careers. Through on-demand webinars, coaching, and digital resources, this platform helps individuals gain the strategic, people-first, non-technical skills needed to thrive alongside AI and unlock leadership potential in corporate functions.
*Audience: Individual professionals, leadership development cohorts*

https://christinasandemasombe.com/webinars-and-masterclasses/

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Datum Cafe Enterprise Data and AI Literacy Solution

Location: Virtual    Fees: 15000 - 75000+/year

Service Type: Service Offered

Supercharge your data culture transformation with our exclusive and comprehensive suite of practitioner tools and expertly created content. Unlock proven, high-value resources specifically designed to empower your teams, streamline processes, and fast-track truly impactful results.
Demo: https://datum.cafe/pricing/demo/
Reviews
“Whether you’re looking to fast-track your learning, elevate your data governance program, or deliver a high-stakes presentation, Datum Café transforms complex concepts into visually engaging, interactive, and easy-to-consume content.” Keyur Desai

Keyur Desai
Chief Data Officer, Former CDO TD Ameritrade

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